Red Sox Journal: Bogaerts compared to Oriole star Machado

BALTIMORE — To anyone expecting Xander Bogaerts to make an immediate impact with his bat once he’s inevitably promoted to the major leagues in August or September, consider what Buck Showalter expected...

BALTIMORE — To anyone expecting Xander Bogaerts to make an immediate impact with his bat once he’s inevitably promoted to the major leagues in August or September, consider what Buck Showalter expected from Manny Machado a year ago around this time.

“Our expectations were that he would play a good defensive third base,” Showalter said. “That’s what we hoped from the reports and people we trusted were telling us. What happened offensively, we were willing to live with and thought he’d figure it out at some point. Anybody who tried to tell you that they thought more than that is trying to portray themselves as Johnny SuperScout.”

It’s easy to forget now that Machado made at least as much of an impact with his glove than his bat upon summons to the major leagues in early August last year. Then just 19 years old, Machado hit .262 with a .294 on-base percentage and .445 slugging percentage in more than 202 plate appearances. He hit eight doubles, three triples and seven home runs, but he also struck out 38 times while walking nine times.

So far this year, Machado is hitting .301 with a .328 on-base percentage and leads all hitters — by a wide margin — with 39 doubles. That he’s made more of an impact in his second crack at the major leagues is in keeping with the typical development path — one also followed by Mike Trout, who hit .220 with a .281 on-base percentage in his first exposure to the major leagues.

“(That’s) what normally happens,” Showalter said. “Most guys come up go and they go through (that). It’s the biggest jump in sports, the level of play. The pitching is what does it. The pitching is so much better here at this level. That’s the difference. We saw three guys in a row at 96-100 miles per hour every night, it seemed like.”

Could Bogaerts make the same defensive impact as Machado? It’s not as likely. Machado was considered a significantly better defensive shortstop than Bogaerts at the same stage of his careers.

The only reason he’s playing third base now is because the Orioles have such a good defensive shortstop in J.J. Hardy. There was no talk of him being forced to move to third base like there has been with Bogaerts.

That’s not to say Bogaerts won’t help the Red Sox, if and when he’s called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. He seems like a better bet than Machado was actually to make an impact at the plate. He’s hitting .273 with a .377 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage as a 20-year-old with the PawSox, significantly better numbers than Machado had as a 19-year-old at Double-A Bowie when the Orioles called him up.

Like Bogaerts for the Red Sox, the Orioles viewed Machado as a special talent who would figure it out at some point along the way.

“We knew the potential was there,” Showalter said. “We weren’t the only ones that were high on him.”

It’ll be Price in the makeup

One day after Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon played it coy, David Price gave away the secret to reporters covering the Rays in New York. Price indeed will face the Red Sox when the two teams meet at Fenway Park on Monday to make up Thursday night’s rainout.

That’s not good news for the Red Sox, who managed only one run — a Mike Napoli solo home run — as Price otherwise shut them down for nine innings.

What will be interesting, both for Price and for Red Sox starter Felix Doubront, will be how they adjust their plan of attack when they face the same lineup for the second time in less than a week.

“You’ve got familiarity,” Boston manager John Farrell said. “He executed tremendously a couple of nights ago. We know that he’s a damn good pitcher, and we’re looking forward to the challenge on Monday — but not anywhere near getting past these three games (against Baltimore).”

Morales will need time

Franklin Morales and Alex Wilson will make rehab appearances at Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Wilson has been on the disabled list since July 9 with a thumb injury, and he figures not to need too much time with the PawSox before he’s ready to be activated.

Morales is another story. The lefty has pitched just six times all season, including one start on May 30, thanks to injuries to his pectoral muscle and his back. He hasn’t pitched in any game since June 22. How many rehab appearances he’ll need has not yet been determined.

“We’ll see how he comes out of the first one from a physical standpoint and then just kind of evaluate where his stuff is,” Farrell said. “Franklin’s situation is going to be much different than Alex’s, just from the simple fact of the amount of time missed.”

Salty on Saturday

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was in the Red Sox lineup Friday and will be again on Saturday. Ryan Lavarnway will catch on Sunday in the day game following a night game.

Saltalamacchia has held up about as well as could be expected while catching about three out of every four games. His on-base percentage is higher in July than it had been in any previous month. But the Red Sox continue to keep an eye on his swing in particular to determine any fatigue level.

“For any player, regardless if it’s a catcher or otherwise, you see if the swing is getting a little bit longer at times,” Farrell said. “That could that be a reason why their legs might be needing a little bit of a breather. All those things are monitored with Salty, for sure.”